The present invention relates to apparatus for feeding solder from a supply spool to the heated tip of a soldering tool and, more specifically, to novel and improved mechanism for feeding a solder strip with the same hand that holds the tool and for retracting the end of the solder strip away from the tip upon completion of the soldering operation.
The desirability of using only one hand to hold a soldering tool and feeding a supply of solder thereto, freeing the other hand to hold the workpiece(s), has long been recognized. Many forms of apparatus have been proposed which effectively accomplish this purpose. Several such devices also include means for withdrawing the end of the solder from the area of the heated tip of the soldering tool to prevent unwanted melting of solder when the tool is not in use. Among such apparatus, for example, are those forms disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,031,562, 3,190,529, 3,229,885 and 3,531,038.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved soldering tool attachment which feeds a solder strip at a desired rate to the heated tip of the tool on the forward stroke of a slide mechanism and retracts and end of the strip away from the tip on a portion of the return stroke.
In a more general sense, the object of the invention is to provide improved manual solder feeding apparatus.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.